In the existing world of tools many different types of cutting tools are available. One of these cutting tools is a box cutting tool or an Exacto knife. The knife portion in the box cutting knife is sufficiently sharp such that the knife will easily cut through material. Therefore, many carpenters and tool users mark where the material is to be cut before using the Exacto knife to cut the material. Also, when using such a knife to open boxes, a writing instrument is useful to input markings on the box regarding the contents of the box. Thus, the user must keep a pen or marker nearby when using a box cutting knife. Although box cutting knives are very popular, the knife blade is very sharp and therefore dangerous. Box cutting knives have a knife switch on the top of the body which slides between an extended and a retracted position. When the knife switch is in the retracted position, the knife itself is contained within the body of the tool. However, when the user wants to use the knife, he or she pushes the knife switch forward to the extended position, whereby the knife extends out a front slot. Box cutting knives do not have a safety mechanism which automatically causes the knife to retract within the body of the cutting tool when not in use. Thus, a user may easily cut herself if not paying attention to the knife blade.
Modern employers value efficiency in all sectors of their businesses. One area where larger and more-organized companies have found they are able to improve over their competitors is supply chain management. Much of supply chain optimization involves complicated modeling and efficient, intuitive management software. However, some simple improvements in the efficiency of tasks frequently performed by supply chain workers can also be valuable.
As modern corporations become more and more reliant on geographically diverse suppliers and customers, shipping and receiving efficiency becomes more important. Frequent tasks performed by shipping and receiving employees include unpacking boxes, marking boxes, and checking items into and out of inventory. Traditionally these tasks require a diverse array of tools. Unpacking requires a cutting tool, marking requires a marking tool and inventory maintenance is performed either by hand, with the aid of a marking tool, or by some variety of scanner. The need to switch between tools to perform these tasks leads to inefficiency. Because shipping and receiving involves a variety of tasks that are traditionally performed with the aid of individually specific tools, a need for a single tool capable of easily performing all necessary tasks would constitute an improvement.
Furthermore, many users prefer to accompany manual labor, such as scanning and marking, with audio entertainment, such as is available from a common transistor radio with an external speaker. Naturally, because such labor is often across an area large enough that a non-portable radio is ineffective, many users of such tools prefer to carry a portable radio along with them while working. This is inconvenient and leads to inefficiency.